Snakes seek shelter in small spaces

WITH Winter at its zenith, serpents are hard to find as their metabolism and movement slow down. This may not be a problem if they have found somewhere safe to hide, however, according to Durban North snake man, Jason Arnold, he’s recieved several call outs for snakes sheltering in warm places.

The 37-year-old said while the call-outs were for species across the board, the most common were the Brown House, Heralds and Spotted Bush snakes.

“I’m getting calls for snakes inside homes, garages, roofs, wendy houses and pool pump covers. All places that snakes are seeking out for shelter and warmth. I’m just urging people to be mindful of this and just be careful with where they place their hands if they intend working in areas where a snake could potentially be sheltering,” he said.

He added during winter, serpents in cold climates find shelter in holes or burrows or hollow logs, caves or basements and spend the winter in an inactive state similar to hibernation.

“It’s important to note that while their body temperatures are primarily determined by the temperature of their environment, snakes can modify their temperatures behaviourally, they can move in and out of the sun or retreat into someplace warm where they have found shelter.”